In a bid to do their bit for the social responsibility Mercedes-Benz has started a unique initiative that highlights the importance of road safety and spreading awareness
Indian roads are not really as safe as we think they are. There are thousands of fatalities each year due to ignorance and lack of education and safety awareness. However, the automotive industry is taking steps to spread awareness and educate the average Indian about being safe on the road.
For this, German car makers Mercedes-Benz, in-collaboration with their Indian subsidiary Mercedes-Benz India, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development and Daimler Financial Services India have started a new initiative called ‘Safe Roads’, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to spread awareness about the traffic rules, importance of using safety equipment in a car. This multi-city initiative kicked off in the capital earlier this year and today the company started it in the city of Pune.
Every year there are approximately 140,000 fatalities on Indian road due to ignorance of safety rules and regulations. Mercedes-Benz stated this initiative in order to try and reduce the aforementioned fatality rate by spreading awareness on road safety. Mercedes-Benz India hopes that ‘Safe Roads’ initiative will start a new era of safety awareness in the country, which will eventually help the road users to drive and ride better and safer. This unique initiative from Mercedes-Benz is in collaboration with JP Research, Apollo Hospitals and IIT Delhi.
The event in Pune was inaugurated at the College of Engineering, Pune where the head honchos from various departments of Mercedes-Benz were present. The list included Prof. Dr. Ing. Rodolfo Schöneburg, Director Mercedes-Benz Cars, Development Safety, Durability, Corrosion Protection;
Manu Saale, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz R&D India and Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India. Along with them was Professor B. B. Ahuja, Officiating Director, College of Engineering Pune who also shared his views on this unique initiative.
In Pune, the company have put up a display where they are highlighting the following: seat belts, airbags, body in white display and the original ESF or Experimental Safety Vehicle. The seat belt display highlights the working of a seat belt in a low-speed crash that effectively help reduce/ eliminate the risk of serious injury. Along with this display, the airbag display also highlights the safety quotient of an airbag along with its effectiveness. The Body in White display shows how a well-built structure with high-tensile material can save lives in a serious crash.
At the display Mercedes-Benz also have Alcohol goggles where the wearer will be able to see how a drunk person loses his balance and has delayed reaction times, which can cause serious injury or even death.
The Experimental Safety Vehicle from 2009 will give the visitors a chance to see the future of safety technology, which will be an integral part of the automobile in the future.
With this initiative Mercedes-Benz are doing their bit to promote safety on Indian roads and we hope that soon other manufacturers will also join the safety brigade to make our roads safer.
